The Ketchum-Armstrong Williams-Department of Education scandal
points to the woeful lack of PR for PR, a chronic problem that now
threatens irreparable damage to a field that John and Jane Q.
Public know little to nothing about -- and what they do is know is
less than flattering.
What's worse, the PR profession is typically taking the path of
least resistance. Sure, there's been a lull from what in
mid-January was a daily barrage of stories in the mainstream press
about the stink bomb set off by revelations that Omnicom
Group's Ketchum public-relations firm paid Williams
$240,000 to promote President Bush's "No Child Left Behind"
school-standards law.
PR industry reps, blindsided by the case, came out in force to
criticize the Ketchum contract but they were in reactionary mode.
But make no mistake. The contours of this story still are taking
shape. While Ketchum clearly breached the ethical line, criminal
charges stemming from the case cannot be ruled out, as several
federal investigations get underway.
Senate Democrats Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Frank Lautenberg
(D-N.J.) have asked the Government Accountability Office
(GAO) to explore the legality of the deal between Williams, the DoE
and Ketchum.
Moreover, citing "thousands" of complaints, the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) also has called for an
investigation to see if the DoE's payment to Williams violates
"payola" laws in the 1996 Communications Act.
Perhaps most ominous: the Citizens for Responsibility and
Ethics in Washington (CREW) has filed Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) requests with 22 federal agencies seeking information
about their PR contracts, ensuring an evergreen quality to the
investigations that might make PR pros turn red.
Caught in all of these crosshairs is Ketchum and, by extension,
the entire PR field. And if the initial response to the debacle --
bumbling at best -- is any indication, the profession will shrink
even further in reputation as the investigations unfold.
Ketchum at first dumped the blame solely at Armstrong's feet,
which boggles the mind. Can you imagine if one of Ketchum's clients
faced a similar crisis? Ketchum executives would have to get the
client out front to apologize immediately and announce steps to
help ensure such an incident won't happen again.
Instead, Ketchum sought wiggle room that only painted the agency
into a tight corner. It was only after an uproar in the press --
and Armstrong's mea culpa -- that Ketchum admitted to
wrongdoing.
The industry's response was equally inept. While saying the
Armstrong payment violated PRSA's Code of Ethics, the group didn't
even mention Ketchum by name until the PRSA issued a press release
in response to an editorial about the case in a competing
publication.
PRSA President Judith Phair made the media rounds in the wake of
the scandal, but apologies are cake compared to the heavy lifting
(and expense) of creating a new message about the nitty-gritty of
the PR profession.
After initially defending Kechum, Council of PR Firms
President Kathy Cripps got smoked in the press and immediately got
out of the line of fire.
A letter was then posted on the council's Web site, attributed
to Harris Diamond, CEO of Weber Shandwick and 2005 chairman
of the council, saying the "Council's position is clear: payments
to journalists for specific coverage (pay or play) is
unacceptable." That's about as hard-hitting as a sack of
feathers.
Right now - and not once the investigations have started to take
on lives of their own - is the time for the industry's trade
organizations to craft a comprehensive, long- term plan to educate
the public about how PR contracts work, specifically in the federal
market, and what the difference is between a reporter and a
commentator.
The campaign should be multi-pronged and media-neutral, with ads
and Web sites condemning Ketchum's behavior in strong language and
enumerating the concrete steps the industry is taking to
rehabilitate a rotten reputation.
Otherwise, the industry will have played a significant role in
setting itself back for years to come.
Contact: Matthew Schwartz is editor of PR News. He
can be reached at 212.621.4875, [email protected]